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Dakota Wesleyan University

Mitchell, South Dakota · Private nonprofit · 4-year · Town

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Official website

At a glance

Average net price
$19,735What students typically pay per year after grants and scholarships.
Acceptance rate
73%
Graduation rate
47%Share of students who finish within 150% of the normal time.
Undergraduates
670
In-state tuition
$33,790Published price before aid.
Out-of-state tuition
$33,790
SAT midpoint
980
Median earnings, 10 yrs
$53,728Median earnings of former students ten years after they first enrolled.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Data year: 2022-23 academic year. Updated September 2026. Figures are averages across all students and will differ from what any individual pays.

How it compares to similar colleges

Each rating covers one measure against private nonprofit 4-year colleges nationally. Five stars means the top fifth on that measure. There is no overall score, because which of these matters is your call.

Affordability

$19,735

Better than 68% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1092 compared).

Completion

47%

Better than 29% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1063 compared).

Earnings

$53,728

Better than 48% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1087 compared).

Debt at graduation

$27,000

Better than 4% of private nonprofit 4-year colleges (1020 compared).

What these ratings are based on
Affordability
Based on average net price: what students receiving federal aid actually paid, after grants and scholarships. Your own cost depends on your family's finances.
Completion
Based on the share of first-time, full-time students who graduate within 150% of normal time. It excludes transfer and part-time students, which understates colleges serving many of them.
Earnings
Based on median earnings ten years after students first enrolled. It reflects the subjects a college teaches and the region it sits in as much as its teaching.
Debt at graduation
Based on median federal loan debt among students who completed. Private and parent loans are not included, so real totals are often higher.
Why there is no rating for selectivity
A lower acceptance rate is selectivity, not quality. Awarding stars for it would be us inventing a value judgement and hiding it behind a number.

What it actually costs

Published cost

$43,864

The sticker price: tuition, fees, housing, food and books for one academic year, before any aid.

Average net price

$19,735

What students receiving federal aid actually paid on average, after grants and scholarships. This is the more useful number, though your own figure depends on your family’s finances.

What would this cost me?
Use this college’s official net price calculator

Outcomes

Graduation, retention, debt and earnings for Dakota Wesleyan University
Graduation rateWithin 150% of normal time47%
Retention rateFirst-year students who return75%
Median debt at graduationFederal loans only, students who completed$27,000
Median earnings, 10 years after entryFormer students, working and not enrolled$53,728

What graduates of each major earn

Median earnings one year after finishing, for people who took that subject here. This is the figure a college-wide median hides: the spread between subjects at one college is usually far wider than the spread between colleges.

Bachelor’s programs at Dakota Wesleyan University by graduate earnings
MajorEarnings, 1 yrDegrees awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$67,98135
Business Administration, Management and OperationsNot reported23
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsNot reported17
Psychology, GeneralNot reported17
Biology, GeneralNot reported8
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessNot reported7
Accounting and Related ServicesNot reported6
Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralNot reported5
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsNot reported5
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyNot reported5
Behavioral SciencesNot reported5
Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsNot reported4
English Language and Literature, GeneralNot reported3
HistoryNot reported3
Special Education and TeachingNot reported3
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasNot reported2
Education, GeneralNot reported2
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and ManagementNot reported2
Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftNot reported2
MathematicsNot reported1
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesNot reported1
MusicNot reported1
Design and Applied ArtsNot reportedNot reported
ChemistryNot reportedNot reported
PhysicsNot reportedNot reported
Political Science and GovernmentNot reportedNot reported
SociologyNot reportedNot reported
Finance and Financial Management ServicesNot reportedNot reported
MarketingNot reportedNot reported
Communication and Media StudiesNot reportedNot reported
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesNot reportedNot reported
Security Science and TechnologyNot reportedNot reported
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesNot reportedNot reported
JournalismNot reportedNot reported
Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationNot reportedNot reported
Religion/Religious StudiesNot reportedNot reported
EconomicsNot reportedNot reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsNot reportedNot reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsNot reportedNot reported
Biological and Physical SciencesNot reportedNot reported
Human Services, GeneralNot reportedNot reported
Computer Software and Media ApplicationsNot reportedNot reported
LiteratureNot reportedNot reported

All 43 bachelor’s programs this college reported.

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